11:51, you're kidding yourself. It WILL be the same old shit. If Aramark had any intention to improve food service, they would have done it this year to secure the contract. They didn't and they won't. Vassar got snookered, and students will suffer. If only Food Committee had talked to students, you might have found that pretty much everyone hates Aramark. Way to represent!

1:07 is totally right. Think about this. Aramark had all the incentive in the world to try and improve their service this year, or otherwise they would be gone. They changed a couple things for the better, but overall nothing big. Now that they get to stay here for another 10 years or so, any positive changes will be gone. So if you think Aramark showed commitment to improving quality, that's only because they didn't want to lose a major source of money.

Also, what I find interesting is that despite pressure to improve quality, they maintained basically the same quality as last year and years before. That makes me think that they KNEW that they were staying, that the whole food contract search was just a facade and that there's some kind of unspoken deal going on here. Unfortunate for us.

the reason why aramark wasn't able to make any HUGE changes this year is because ACDC is an out-dated facility, much in need to renovations and improvements. with the RFP this year, obviously the college couldn't commit money to renovating a facility that might have changed management. now that aramark is in it for the long haul, the college can put money to making it a space more conducive to student needs and better able to provide higher quality food. it is with the new facility that aramark will really be able to up the ante and completely overhaul our current conception of campus dining. this IS a change.

i can't believe we won't have trays. how far do we have to go to placate the crazy group of liberal tree-huggers who don't want to wash the stupid trays? so what if it uses water, for goodness sake, we have to try to carry all out food and drinks to our chairs now? just so the sustainable nuts can sleep well at night? that freakin sucks.

Aside from the "tree-hugger" factor, the other reason they are eliminating trays is that the meal plan in ACDC is going "All You Can Eat," instead of à la carte pricing. So now we won't be able to carry as much, haha. It makes sense in my opinion, though, because this will reduce food waste, and according to the Misc article, we'll still be able to go back and get seconds without additional charge.

2:41, what precise scientific and engineering breakthrough is necessary so that we can finally drop the 90% fried food at the dc? a stove? a cooking pot? the discovery of hot water? enlighten me, wise one...

if the workers work for us and we want to get better food, we should pay the workers less money and instead get a better service provider who can buy better food in larger quantities. we also shouldn't waste money on remodeling the dc when its really not that bad. they should put more money toward a better company to run it

Okay, I'm a member of the Campus Dining management team, I'm not an Aramark employee. I've been working at Vassar for a long time and I'll try to answer some of your questions. I won't respond to insults towards people I have worked with and have tried to provide quality service to the students of Vassar for many years. Please be objective.

10:41- There will be expanded hours, to go will still be available.

11:35- We never sold 'shit' and I think you should look again at the e mail that was sent on behalf of the committee. There will be renovations and changes that will improve the dining experience. Feeding an audience as diverse as the Vassar community is difficult and, as Mario Cuomo said, "any ass can kick down a barn"

1:07- I'd like to sit down with you and talk about your concerns. Lets do lunch. I've given my email.

no matter what sort of technological or other kind of improvements are made, what it really comes down to is that Aramark's food is bad. it's unhealthy, it's not fresh and it doesn't taste good. so whether or not i get my food from a buffet, and whether or not i'm carrying it on a tray, if it's supplied by aramaerk it's gonna be the same fried, tasteless, sorry excuse for food as it is this year

2:41 @ 4:27: When the new program is completely implemented, most of the preparation will be done in front of you, the customer. The folks preparing the salad bar will be chopping, dicing, and slicing the vegetables as they are needed, for instance. Think of a market rather than a big institutional kitchen.5:27, 5:53,6:08- Remeber, it will be a different style of food service. You will be able to go back and get more if you want. You won't have to pass by a cashier if you want seconds, you won't have to pay for an extra cookie. I saw a trayless dining hall; it looked much less institutional.It's been shown to save incrediable amounts of energy and water for washing. You're in college; it's time to lose the trays.

If you aren't going to give students more local, healthy, and affordable options, then you're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg. Props on losing the trays and the buffet-style, but if the food is going to be as unsatisfying as ever, what's the point?

What if we want to eat outside or in UpCDC, and then decide we want seconds? Will we have to pay for an entire other meal? And while there are some times when I can get by with carrying my plate and my drink in 2 hands, most of the time I need a tray to carry things.. it's a simple matter of convenience that will now be taken away. I don't get it.

a few quick things based on what's been said on here. first off, if you read the misc article, you'll see that aramark has committed to locally sourcing 40% of all ingredients within the next five years. also, there is an outdoor eating area that will be improved for those who would like to eat outdoors. and for anyone who would like to eat upstairs or take their food elsewhere on campus - you will absolutely be able to take meals "to go" using a meal swipe. and lastly, the idea behind the "dicing peppers" in front of you is so that they will be replaced in the salad bar as it gets low, not so that you wait for your individual salad.

the beverages will be located in the seating area itself, so that you can bring your plate(s) of food to your table and then walk only a few feet to go grab a drink. ask anybody who has ever been to a trayless institution. it's no big.